


In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

by TarynMercury



Category: Criss Angel - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gen, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-26
Updated: 2012-10-26
Packaged: 2017-11-17 02:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/546603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TarynMercury/pseuds/TarynMercury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kayleigh lands a job as Criss Angel's new personal assistant. The job brings her a paranormal mystery, and romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: I do not know Criss Angel, his family members, or any of his work entourage. I do not know how any of them would act in any given situation. This is purely fictional and intended for entertainment purposes only. The OFC belongs to me.  
> This fic was originally written in 2008. It was written for a contest and placed 3rd. 
> 
> *Please DO NOT cross post this fic anywhere!

Chapter 1

It had been a long day. He had been going nonstop for six months. He felt as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. He had finally gotten some time to himself and was just about to get some much needed sleep when the phone rang. He groaned and sat up.  
“Hello” he said, yawning.   
The person on the other end began talking and Criss tried his best not to groan. He sighed into the receiver.   
“Okay, Jennifer, thanks for letting me know. Don’t worry. I’ll call Dave and find a replacement. Look you have to do what is best for you and I wish you all the happiness in the world. See you tomorrow.”  
Criss hung up the phone and put his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. His personal assistant, Jennifer, had just given him two weeks notice on her job. Now he had to call his manager, Dave Baram, and tell him he needed a replacement.   
“Perfect timing” he thought. “Just as I’m about to begin shooting season two.”

Criss made his phone call and Dave assured him he had someone perfect in mind. With that news, Criss felt a little better and finally laid down to get some rest. He was definitely going to miss Jennifer. She had been his assistant for a long time and now he was going to have to train someone new.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kayleigh walked through the streets of New York City on her way to Wendy’s work. She was so excited she almost skipped there. Her friend Wendy ran a costume shop not far from Times Square. Kayleigh opened the door and hearing the bell ring, Wendy looked up.   
“Right on time! I was just about to take my lunch.”   
Wendy worked at a costume shop located not far from times square.

 

Wendy finished up with some customers and she and Kayleigh left the store.   
“I’m so friggin’ hungry I could eat a horse.” Wendy said and laughed. Kayleigh giggled.   
“So what’s with you? What is this exciting news you have to tell me? You look like you are about to burst!”  
“I got a job! I’ll tell you all about it as soon as we sit down.” Kayleigh said excitedly.

They walked to the next block to a sandwich shop, ordered their food at the counter and sat down.   
“So out with it! This must be some job to get you all excited. I never see you this happy about a job.” Wendy said.

In a rush, Kayleigh blurted everything out. “Oh my God, Wendy, you are not going to believe this! I got a phone call from Phil, who is Dave Baram’s lawyer, who is the entertainment manager who owns The Firm.”   
“Yes I know who he is.” Wendy laughed.   
“Ok, well, Phil said that Criss Angel is looking for a new personal assistant and Dave thought of me! So I have an appointment for an interview with Criss in the morning!”   
“Oh he’s that magician you told me about. The one who was in Times Square last month doing a stunt?”   
“Yes! Isn’t that cool? I mean I don’t really know that much about him except i’ve seen his show, Mindfreak, a few times but this seems like a really exciting job.” Kayleigh had been so excited to tell her story that she had only eaten one bite of her sandwich.   
“Yeah, that sounds like a great job! If you get it then maybe he can teach me a few magic tricks.” Wendy winked at her.  
Kayleigh laughed and said, “Wendy, I’m trying to tell you about possibly getting the most exciting job of my career and all you can think about is learning some new magic tricks!”

Wendy laughed. “Seriously, i’m really excited for you. I hope you get the job. Now, eat your lunch!”  
“It’s kind of hard to eat while watching you eat that organic crap. What is that? Grass? How do you eat that stuff?”  
“I’ve been eating it most of my life and it’s not crap. That stuff you eat is crap! This is tofu with bean sprouts and......”  
Kayleigh interrupted her. “Never mind, don’t tell me or I won’t be able to finish my food.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Criss sat in his kitchen reading the resume for Kayleigh Hutchence. Dave Baram assured him that she was perfect for the job. Dave’s longtime friend and lawyer, Phil Owens, had been friends with her for years and she had a lot of experience as a secretary and personal assistant to some very wealthy and powerful men. Criss trusted Dave’s judgment but still, he hated the thought of losing Jennifer. She had told him yesterday the reason she was giving him her two weeks notice was that she was getting married and moving to Japan. He truly did wish her the best and was glad she was going to be around to train someone. He really hoped Dave was right about the girl he was interviewing because he didn’t have time to interview a lot of people.  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kayleigh’s alarm went off waking her with a start. She sat bolt upright in bed. She had trouble sleeping and had finally fell into a deep sleep about 2 hours ago. She was anxious about this morning’s interview but her sleep had been disturbed by a man trying to get through to her. He kept waking her, trying to tell her something but she was trying to ignore him so she could get some sleep. 

“Ugh!” Kayleigh turned off the alarm and rubbed her eyes. Why now of all times, was someone trying to communicate with her? Kayleigh had been sensitive to the paranormal her entire life. Just like her mother and her mother before her. She had no idea who this man was that was trying to talk to her nor what he was trying to tell her. He wasn’t anyone in her apartment. The only spirit she felt around her in her New York apartment was a woman named Carol and she never bothered Kayleigh. She was just around.  
On her way to The Firm; Kayleigh kept trying to shake the sleep from her brain. She stopped in the bathroom and slapped some cool water on her face, checked herself in the mirror and walked out the door. When she got to Dave’s office, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Kayleigh had worked for rich and powerful people before but never for a celebrity. She had to get her nerves under control because it wouldn’t look good for her to be all star struck in front of Criss Angel. 

Dave stood up from his desk.  
“Kayleigh!” he held out his arms to hug her. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?”  
“Just fine, Dave. You?” Kayleigh hugged him.  
“I’m great. I want you to meet Criss, Kayleigh. Criss, this is Kayleigh.”  
Kayleigh and Criss shook hands and it sent a slight surge of electricity through her body. She tried not to look startled. This was something that rarely happened to her. She wondered what it meant. Pushing her thoughts back, she smiled at Criss and said, “Nice to meet you.”  
“Well, I’ve got lots to do so i’m going to get out of your way and let you guys talk. Kayleigh, it was great seeing you again. I’m on my way to see Phil right now.” He turned to Criss. “Criss, this girl is a real gem.”  
Kayleigh blushed and Criss chuckled. Once Dave left Criss asked her to sit down.

“First of all, don’t be nervous. Really, i’m not someone to be nervous over.” Criss told her and smiled. He had a really warm smile that made Kayleigh feel more at ease. 

“Now, tell me about some of the other jobs you’ve had. Dave gave me a copy of your resume’ but i’d like to hear about your experiences from you.” Criss sat back in the chair and clasped his hands together.  
“Well, I don’t want to go too far back and bore you but in the recent years i’ve worked for Phil Owens off and on. Mainly when he needs me. I’ve done secretarial work for him and acted as his personal assistant when he has traveled abroad. I’ve worked as a personal assistant for George Beckham, Sidney Crane, Paula O’Dell, and Wayne Isham in the past 10 years. Mr. Isham is the only one in the entertainment industry i’ve worked for. I’ve done all the normal responsibilities of a personal assistant plus secretarial work. Keep schedules, plan meetings, make appointments, work on payroll. Pretty much you name it; i’ve done it for these people. Lots and lots of gopher work.” Kayleigh laughed. 

“Wow, I’ve never heard of most of these people you’ve listed here on your resume’. I think these people are too rich for me to know.” Criss laughed. 

“Yeah, seriously rich. In fact, my first p.a was for Orini Hishimoto. He’s a multimillionaire business man. Mostly electronics but he dabbles in a lot of different things. I was so in awe of the money. I couldn’t believe people really lived like that.” Kayleigh told him.

“So where are you from? You sure don’t sound like a New Yorker. Is that a southern accent I hear?” Criss asked.  
Kayleigh chuckled. “Yes, it is. It used to be way worse. I’m from a very small town in Louisiana. I took some secretarial courses at the community college then got my B.A in business at Louisiana State on a scholarship and loans because my parents sure didn’t have the money to put me through college. I had to go though. I had to get out of that town. Well, right before I graduated, my friend Wendy called me and told me to move to New York. Well, I did and the rest is history.”  
“You sound pretty motivated. I like that.” Criss said and winked at her.  
He had such a great smile and a warm personality that Kayleigh forgot all about being nervous so they chatted for another half hour.  
At the end of the interview, they shook hands and parted ways. Criss told her he would be calling her in a few days. Kayleigh felt very positive about the interview. Criss seemed to genuinely like her and was interested in what she had to say. He had a way of making her feel as if he was hanging on every word. He seemed so down to earth. Kayleigh was used to stuffy business men in suits and Criss was very different from that. He was also the best looking man she had ever had an interview with. She went home on cloud nine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *If you are enjoying what you read, please leave feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That night, Kayleigh had another fitful sleep. The man had come to her again, waking her on 4 different occasions. This time she heard his accent and the words, “tell him”, but that was all she heard. She could see him but just barely. He was a fairly tall, thin man with brown hair. She did see his face though. He was a handsome, older man. She had no idea who he was or why he suddenly starting trying to talk to her. Now this was getting annoying. Who was he and what was he trying to tell her? Sometimes she really hated having this gift.   
 ”God girl, you look like hell. Did you get any sleep?” Wendy was sitting at her kitchen table drinking coffee on Saturday morning.   
“No, not much. Wendy, this guy is waking me up at night. I’ve never seen him before and i’ve no idea what he wants.”   
“Well, why do you think he has contacted you?”   
“No clue.” Kayleigh said sipping her coffee.  
“Give your mom a call and see what she has to say. Maybe she can give you some insight.”

“I just might do that. I hope he doesn’t do this to me every night. Especially now that I might be starting a new job.” Kayleigh told her.   
“Oh yeah, how do you think the interview went?” Wendy asked.  
“It went great! Criss is really down to earth and nice. I wasn’t really expecting that. We clicked well so I think i’ve got the job. It doesn’t hurt that Dave Baram put in some good words for me.” Kayleigh smiled.   
“I’m thinking he is going to call me Monday.” 

Kayleigh and Wendy spent Saturday shopping. Kayleigh felt it was time for some new clothes for the new job she felt she was going to get.   
All day Sunday Kayleigh spent looking up everything she could on the internet about Criss Angel. Although she had seen a few episodes of Mindfreak; she really didn’t know much about him and she felt she should learn. She didn’t want to go into the job blind and end up looking like an idiot. She found out Criss was inspired by Houdini so she spent a lot of time finding out about him also. 

When Monday arrived, she felt refreshed. She slept through two nights in a row with no sign of her mysterious visitor. She sat at her kitchen table drinking her coffee and reading the news paper when the phone rang making her nearly jump out of her seat. She actually sat there and stared at the phone for a minute before she answered it.

“Hello” she said, hoping it was Criss telling her she had the job.  
“Kayleigh! Hi how are you? It’s Criss.”   
Kayleigh tried to suppress the excitement in her voice.   
“I’m good, Criss. You?”  
“Great! Listen, i just wanted to let you know that you’ve got the job. I need for you to come by as soon as possible so you can meet Jennifer and we can all go over a few things.”  
“Wow, great! I can come by anytime. In fact, I can come by today if you need me to.” Kayleigh told him.  
“Oh, I was hoping you’d say that!” Criss told her and laughed. “Why don’t you meet us for lunch around 12:30 at The Firm. We’ll order Chinese take out and go over some things.”  
“Yes, no problem. I’ll be there. Thanks, Criss.”  
“No,thank YOU, Kayleigh. You’re saving my life here.” Criss told her making her smile.

The rest of the day was spent with mostly Jennifer talking about Criss and his schedules and everything she needed to know about him. Jennifer was so sweet and very helpful. He sounded like most easygoing person she’d ever worked for. It didn’t matter. She was prepared for whatever he could throw at her. She’d worked for some real ego trips and learned how to deal with them. It would be a nice change of pace to work for someone as easy going as Criss seemed to be. 

She came home around midnight and flopped into bed completely exhausted. Around three am she woke up at the sound of the man’s voice again. She blinked groggily at the space near her bed and could see the familiar male figure. She was so tired all she could make out was him saying “Tell Criss for me”. The next morning when she woke up all she could think was, “Aw crap, this would just have to be about my new employer. I can’t go telling him that someone from beyond has a message for him. He’ll think i’m completely crazy.” She had also heard him talk about not believing in such things. That just made matters worse for her. Maybe this would stop but from her past experience she’s found that it never does until it’s resolved. 

Over the next couple of weeks, Kayleigh spent a lot of time with Jennifer learning about Criss’ show and production. She was getting a crash course since Jennifer had little time before she was leaving. Kayleigh already knew a little about production from working with Wayne Isham, the video director. She wasn’t completely new at this but it was still very different from working with music videos. She was also learning a lot about magic. It was all very fascinating to her but at the same time, a little disappointing. She was right there in it to see exactly how it’s done. Still, there were a few tricks Criss did that she didn’t see how they worked and she was glad for that. She loved the mystery behind it all.

When she wasn’t helping out with production she was doing her usual “gopher” work that went along with being a personal assistant. It didn’t bother her, she was used to it. In fact, she loved it. It was what she knew and had been doing for the past 15 years. So far she was right about Criss being easygoing. He hadn’t had any strange requests for her. He also hadn’t been a total perv that tried to get her in bed. She didn’t get that feeling from the beginning but she was glad he was quite normal. Some of the older business men she had worked for wanted her for a bed mate when the wife wasn’t around and she never succumbed to that. She’d lost her job over it on only one occasion. 

She’d met his wife, Joanne, and the rest of the family and they were all very nice people. A very tight knit family but welcoming to her. The first time she met Costa they locked eyes and there was an instant connection. He made her stomach quiver whenever she was around him and he seemed to be shy around her. Kayleigh tried to put him out of her mind because that is not what she was here for. She needed this job and she was not going to screw it up. Romance would have to take a back burner to her career. She’d gotten out of a long term relationship about 6 months ago and hadn’t been on many dates. Right now, what she wanted to focus on was her job and it was a job she was really enjoying.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kayleigh sat at her laptop typing up some things for Criss. It was eight am and she was still yawning, having had another night of not getting much sleep. This was really beginning to bother her and she was going to have to ask the man to stop waking her up. He was still trying to get a message to her about Criss. A message that wasn’t very clear yet.

There was a meeting going on with J.D., Costa, Johnny Thompson and various other people from Criss’ entourage. They were discussing a particular stunt Criss wanted to do.   
As usual, J.D was fretting over it and trying to tell Criss how dangerous it was. She looked over at them only to find Costa looking at her and quickly looking away when she turned her head. Kayleigh smiled to herself. “Stop it!” she told herself and shook her head and continued her work. 

“Kayleigh, are you listening to this? Maybe you can talk some sense into Criss.” Johnny told her.   
“Ha! Not me. I’m staying out of this. Not in my job description.” Kayleigh told him making him laugh.   
“Smart girl” he said.   
Kayleigh went about her work, oblivious to what was going on around her.  ”Is everything ok?” Criss said, suddenly appearing behind her making her jump.  
“Yes, Criss, why do you ask?”   
“You seem preoccupied. Something is wrong.” Criss looked at her very serious.  
“No, nothing is wrong. Just had a little trouble sleeping last night, that’s all.” she told him. It wasn’t a complete lie, she thought.   
“Are you sure? Let me know if something is wrong.”   
“Hey, don’t try your mind reading tricks on me, mister. They won’t work!” Kayleigh said, trying to put some humor into the conversation. There is no way she could tell him what was really wrong.  ”Oh i wouldn’t be so sure about that!” Criss said waving his fingers in front of her eyes. “You see right now I am sensing that you want a cookie.” he said and produced a cookie in front of her making Kayleigh laugh.  ”You are something else! No, I wasn’t thinking about a cookie but since you went through the trouble....” she grabbed it from his hand and took a bite.   
 Criss leaned closer to her. “Seriously, you tell me if you need to talk, ok?” He was staring into her eyes making her feel almost......uncomfortable but not exactly. It was a feeling she couldn’t describe. It was like he was trying to read her mind.   
Kayleigh laughed nervously. “Ok, I’ll keep that in mind.” She turned her attention back to the computer screen. Although she and Criss were forming somewhat of a friendship bond, there is no way she could tell him what was on her mind. He’d never believe her. Criss lingered there for another minute then walked away. Kayleigh found herself wondering if Criss really could read her mind. 

The next Sunday everyone was at Criss’ house for a dinner party. The whole family was there plus most of the people who worked on Mindfreak and various friends of Criss’ that Kayleigh had never met. Dexter and Johnny kept making jokes about how Criss had finally given everyone a day off. “He’s a slave driver, I tell you!” Johnny was saying.   
“Hey, slaves don’t get paid!” Criss retorted.

It was going on nine pm and everyone seemed to have a bit of a buzz. Kayleigh got to have a real conversation with Criss’ mom, Dimitra. She was such a sweet lady.   
“You know, I think my son has a crush on you.” Dimitra said, shocking Kayleigh.   
“Huh, Criss?” Kayleigh said, confused.  
“No! Costa! Can’t you tell?” Dimitra replied.   
“Oh” Kayleigh said with a sheepish grin. “Well, um.....I, uh, I don’t know.”  
Dimitra patted her hand. “Oh come on, i’ve seen you two sneaking looks at each other.”   
“Stop it, Dimitra!” Kayleigh said, trying her best not to smile.  
“I really don’t want to get involved with anyone right now. I don’t have time for it and it will interfere with my job.”  
“Oh please. Don’t tell me that. There is always time for romance. Costa is a nice boy and he needs a sweet girl like you. I think you two are a good match.” Dimitra said putting her arm around Kayleigh and giving her a squeeze. “Christopher would be delighted.”  
Kayleigh shook her head and laughed. “Dimitra, stop playing matchmaker!”  
Dimitra hugged her once more and got up. Kayleigh sighed, watching her walk away. 

Kayleigh mingled with everyone, listening to Criss’ s mom and brothers telling stories about Criss that made everyone laugh. Every once in a while she would catch Costa looking at her then see Dimitra watching and smiling and nodding her head. “Oh boy” Kayleigh thought. “What am I going to do?” 

Kayleigh walked out on the back deck to smoke a cigarette and suddenly Costa appeared at her side. He lit his cigarette and said “Hello”. Suddenly Kayleigh felt nervous. “Hi” she said back to him.   
“So what do you think of this crazy family?” he asked her.  
“Oh you guys are great! I love how all of you are so close and get along so well.”   
“We don’t always get along so well.” he laughed.   
“Well, a lot better than my family.” Kayleigh told him.   
“Where is your family?” Costa asked her. They were both leaning against the railing of the deck looking at each other.   
“Louisiana” Kayleigh told him.  
“Ah, a southern family! Are you close?”   
“No not really. I mean I get along with my mother but we aren’t what you would call close. I haven’t been home much since I was 18.” Kayleigh wondered why she said that much to him. She never talked about her family to anyone.   
“Oh, that’s a shame. I couldn’t imagine not being near my family.” Costa looked into her eyes with a look of sympathy.  
“It’s ok, really. We get along, we just aren’t what you’d call close.”  
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Costa asked her.  
“I have two sisters. Sarah is the oldest and Angela is the youngest. They are still living in my home town and I talk them on the phone a couple of times a month. They are both married with children and they have come to visit me in New York a couple of times.” she told him.   
“You like being the middle child?” Costa asked. She knew he was the middle child too.   
“It’s ok. I don’t think of it much either way. You?”  
“It’s never bothered me because we’ve always been so close.”

They stood in silence for a moment then Costa smiled at her and said,  
“Hey, you know next week is mom’s birthday and we are all going to be in Vegas again. We’ll be celebrating with a big dinner. Would you like to go?”  
Kayleigh was momentarily startled. “Well, it’s a family thing. I don’t want to intrude.”  
Costa laughed. “You won’t be intruding. You’ll be my date if you want to go with me that is.”  
Kayleigh smiled and just knew her face was turning red. “Oh, well then yes, i’ll go.” 

Costa smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek making Kayleigh blush even more. “Let’s go” he put his hand on the small of her back and led her back into the house.   
Dimitra and Joann were looking at them and whispering. Kayleigh mouthed the words, “stop it” to the two of them which made them laugh.   
Kayleigh walked past them into the living room where Criss, J.D, Dexter, Johnny and a couple of Criss’ friends were talking, laughing and cutting up. Criss walked up to Kayleigh and put his arm around her and whispered in her ear, “So what is going on between you and my brother?” 

Kayleigh looked at him and he was grinning ear to ear. She could tell he was really buzzed. “Oh man, not you too! Has your mother been talking to you?”  
Criss laughed and said, “Well some but i’ve noticed lately that Costa has been asking questions about you. He seems pretty interested.”   
“Criss, look, I have a job to do and i never get involved with people I work with.......” 

That made Criss laugh even harder. “Oh get over it. You work for me not him. He has nothing to do with your job. If you two like each other then I think it’s fantastic.”   
Criss leaned his forehead against her temple. “I think you two would make a great couple. Invite me to the wedding.” he laughed and kissed her temple. 

“Oh, good lord, Criss, stop it! Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? Does everyone in your family play matchmaker?”  
“Yeah, we want to get Costa married off.” Criss laughed.   
Kayleigh shook her head and laughed at him. “You are too much.”   
She walked over to the fireplace to get away from the conversation and began looking at the pictures. There was a picture of the whole family at a restaurant. This one made Kayleigh stop. She stood there staring at it. 

“Criss!” she turned around. “Criss!”   
Criss turned to her. “What?”   
Kayleigh’s heart was beating fast. “Who.....who is this?”   
Kayleigh was pointing to the man in the photo next to Dimitra.  
“That’s my father. He died a few years ago.” Criss replied.   
Kayleigh was so startled that she almost dropped her drink.   
“This...this man is....your father?” Kayleigh’s eyes were wide.  
“Yes, it is. Kayleigh, what’s wrong?” Criss suddenly looked serious as if he’d lost his buzz.  
She had been feeling someone in this house and wasn’t sure, until now, who it was.   
“N...n..nothing. I...um, I was just curious that’s all.” she was trying to cover up her shock.   
Criss looked at her puzzled and narrowed his eyes.   
“What’s up?”  
“Really, it’s nothing. He looks just like one of my uncles that’s all.”  
“Oh ok” Criss said, but Kayleigh could see he really didn’t believe her.  
She smiled nervously at him and walked away .The man in the photo was the man who had been visiting her almost every night for the past month.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kayleigh went home that night shaken up about seeing the picture of Criss’ father. She’d had people visit her before and on a couple of occasions, gotten messages to give to a loved one but she’d never had anyone this persistent. To make things worse; this man was the father of her employer and of someone who didn’t believe in the paranormal. “This is just great!” she thought.   
She sat in her living room watching tv but not really seeing it. How could she give Criss a message from his dead father? She knew he had been very close to his father and she had the feeling that if she tried to tell Criss anything, not only would he not believe her, but he might even get mad at her. He believed that people who claimed to communicate with the dead were only after people’s money and they were all frauds. She couldn’t risk it. She would just have to tell his father that she couldn’t do it and he would have to leave her alone. That is all there is to it. 

Monday morning they were in New York shooting street magic sequences for the show. Kayleigh was on edge, hoping that Criss wouldn’t ask her about her reactions to his fathers’ photo. In fact, she found an opportunity to tell Criss she had some things to take care of and to call her if he needed her. Criss being as perceptive as he is pulled her aside.  
“I still get the feeling that something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it?” Criss was staring right into her eyes.  
“No, i just need to get some computer work done. I’ve got updates to make on your website. I’ve got a few phone calls to make for that thing you asked me about the other day.” she looked down.  
“Ok, that stuff can wait. Right now I want to find out why you were so bugged out by my fathers’ picture. Something bothered you about it and I want to know what it is.”   
Crap, Kayleigh thought, she had to come up with something fast.   
She laughed a small, nervous laugh. “Oh it’s nothing. I told you, he just looks a lot like my uncle. The similarities were amazing. It was just a surprise, that’s all. Really.”  
Criss continued to stare at her and she was sure he wasn’t buying it. He slowly let go of her arm.  
“Ok, if you’re sure that’s all.”  
“Yes, really. Thank you for being concerned, Criss, but there is really nothing wrong.” she hugged him and turned to leave.   
“I’ll call you later, ok?” Criss called after her. She nodded at him and waved and walked away.  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
“He’s who??” Wendy asked, shocked. They were eating lunch in the back of Wendy’s costume shop.  
“Criss’ father! He’s been trying to communicate with me for weeks now. He keeps saying, “Tell Criss” or “Tell Criss for me” but that is all I get. I’m just not getting a clear message yet. I guess this is why he is so persistent.”  
“It doesn’t seem like he is going to leave you alone until you do get his message.” Wendy told her.  
Kayleigh let out a long sigh. “Looks like you’re right but Wendy, I just can’t tell Criss. I’ve told you; he doesn’t believe in such things. He’d probably freak out and fire me if I told him. He was very close to his father. I don’t want to offend him.”  
“Hhmm, is there anyone in the family who does believe in the paranormal?” Wendy asked her.  
“I have no idea. I’ve never brought up the subject before. I’ve certainly never told anyone about me.”   
“This really is a dilemma. If I were you, i’d do a little digging. See if you can find out who in the family believes. Then work on bringing it up. It may take a while but it looks like this is something you’ve got to do. Right now i’ve got to get back to work.” Wendy said, standing up.  
Kayleigh hugged her. “Thanks for listening. I don’t know what i’d do with out you.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The very next Monday morning they were all flying out to Las Vegas for more filming. This was also the night of Dimitra’s birthday dinner. While on the plane Joann came over and sat down next to Kayleigh.   
“So tonight’s your big date with Costa?” Joann was grinning like a cheshire cat.   
Kayleigh laughed. “Yes, Joann, that would be tonight. Are you guys giving Costa as much shit as you’re giving me?”  
“Of course we are! But it’s only because we love you guys. So what are you going to wear? You gotta wear something sexy!”  
“I have no idea. I haven’t thought about it really.” Kayleigh told her.  
“You haven’t thought about it? Oh girl, we are going shopping! We’re going to find something to make his eyes pop out!” Joann turned her head and looked behind her. “Hey ma! We’ve gotta go shopping first thing!”

Dimitra hurried up to the seat across from them. “What are we going shopping for?”  
“Kayleigh needs a dress for tonight. Something that will really make Costa sit up and take notice!” Joann playfully elbowed Kayleigh.  
“Oooohhh yes, we’ll find you something sexy to wear!” Dimitra said clapping her hands together. At this point Joann and Dimitra leaned in together and began discussing dresses and styles and designers.  
“Hello? Don’t I get a say in this?” Kayleigh asked them.  
“No, you don’t.” Joann smiled at her.   
Kayleigh just laughed and listened to them talk about her wardrobe for the evening. This was going to be some shopping experience.   
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

That night the three women were in Criss and Joann’s suite getting ready to leave for dinner. Joann and Dimitra had picked out a black dress with tiny rhinestones and a backline that plunged down to the top of her butt. The dress was just above her knee and the neckline plunged just low enough for a peek of cleavage. Kayleigh felt like she was on display. Her hair was swept back with rhinestone studded combs and the back hanging loose with her golden brown curls. She stared at herself in the mirror. She had never worn a dress like this before and it did make her feel sexy. She really hoped Costa though so. 

J.D and his wife and girls, Criss and Costa walked in the suite. J.D and Criss whistled at the women. “Wow, look at you guys. You look terrific!” Criss said. Criss walked over to Kayleigh and made a circle around her, surveying her. He clasped her hands and said, “You look beautiful!” he kissed her cheek. “Costa, doesn’t she look gorgeous?”   
Costa shuffled from one foot to the other, giving him a sheepish grin. “Yes, she does.” 

Kayleigh felt herself turning six different shades of red. Criss gave Costa a nod in Kayleigh’s direction and he walked over to Kayleigh and grabbed her hand, gave it a squeeze and smiled at her. The squeeze sent a tingling sensation through her body. His smile made her feel warm all over and she smiled back at him, squeezing his hand in return. She could feel everyone looking at them but for the moment, she didn’t care.

The dinner was amazing. Kayleigh had lobster tail with linguini and alfredo sauce, asparagus tips with mushrooms and a salad. No one knew how they were going to find room for the giant birthday cake that came out.   
“I’m not ready for cake yet. You want to dance?” Costa stood up and held out his hand.  
“Sure.” Kayleigh smiled at him and took his hand.  
Soon, J.D and his wife were also slow dancing on the dance floor near them. J.D gave both of them a wink.   
Kayleigh laughed a little and Costa said, “So is the rest of the family watching?”  
She peeked over his shoulder and said, “Yeah, your mom and Joann are smiling and whispering and Criss is staring right at us with a big, goofy grin on his face.”  
Costa laughed. “Yeah, I thought so.”  
“I swear, your family is something else. Do they do this to you all the time?”  
“No, not really. They must really like you.” he told her.  
“Oh they do?” Kayleigh asked him.  
“Yeah, they do.” Costa said and winked at her.  
“Oh, well I like them too.” Kayleigh smiled at him.  
“You know, I don’t think i’ve told you how beautiful you look tonight.” he said, looking into her eyes.  
“No, you haven’t.”  
“Well, you do.” he said and pulled her in closer. His hand on her bare back made her tingle.  
Kayleigh smiled and laid her head on his shoulder and for the rest of the night, forgot her problems.  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Back at the hotel, she and Costa sat on the couch, sipping wine, in the sitting room of her hotel suite.   
“Did you have a good time tonight?” Costa asked her.  
“Yes I did.” she answered him; feeling his fingers entwining with hers.  
She sat facing him with her legs crossed.  
“You?”   
“Yes I did. How could I not? I got to dance with an incredibly beautiful woman and at the same time; torment my family.” he smiled and his eyes sparkled.   
Kayleigh laughed. “No kidding. Your family are wonderful people but they do like to play matchmaker don’t they?”  
Costa laughed. “Well, it’s funny because they never really have before. I think it’s just that they really like you a lot. They must think we belong together.”

Kayleigh smiled at him; not really sure what to say. She hadn’t planned on falling for him so hard. At this point in her life she really wanted to concentrate on her career but love has a way of sneaking up on you.   
“Costa, can I ask you a question?”   
“Sure.”  
“Have you ever been married?” she looked into his eyes.  
Costa looked a little startled. “No, why do you ask?”  
“I’m just curious. I mean, I didn’t know.”  
“Well, what about you? Why aren’t you married?” he asked her.  
“Well, I was engaged once.” she told him and got a cigarette out of her purse and lit it. “In fact we broke up about 7 months ago.”  
“Can I ask why?” Costa asked her.

“Well, I guess you could say we were total opposites and we got tired of fighting with each other. We parted on good terms.” she sighed.  
She blinked at him sleepily. The wine was getting to her head but she didn’t want the night to end.   
“I’m sorry to hear that but then if the two of you hadn’t broken up I wouldn’t be here with you.”   
“This is true.” she responded. “So why don’t you have a girlfriend?”  
“Well, the schedule I keep prevents me from meeting anyone. I mean, not for a long time. It’s been a long time since i’ve had a steady girlfriend.” he told her, looking into her eyes and gently squeezing her hand. 

Kayleigh considered bringing up the topic of the paranormal but she was too tired to get into that conversation. She yawned and leaned against his shoulder. With his arm around her, she fell asleep against him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

During their two weeks of filming in Las Vegas, Costa and Kayleigh tried to spend as much time together as they could. Criss was a very driven person and he drove everyone else in much the same way. Criss left little time for “lollygagging” as he called it.  
By the time they flew back to New York everyone was exhausted and a bit grumpy. Kayleigh and Costa sat together on the plane holding hands. Costa was fast asleep.  
Joann sat in the seat across the aisle from them. She leaned over and whispered, “So I take it things are going well between you two?”  
“Yes, and ssshhhh!!” Kayleigh whispered.  
Joann giggled, “Oh he’s asleep. He likes you so don’t be embarrassed.”  
“Ugh” Kayleigh shook her head. “Yes, things are going well but we haven’t had a lot of time together due to your slave driver husband.” ”I heard that.” Criss leaned over Joann and grinned at Kayleigh. “I can put production on hold for a while so you and Costa can get something going if you’d like.” Criss raised his eyebrows when he put the emphasis on the words, “something going.”  
“Criss!!!” Kayleigh said but laughed. Joann slapped his arm.  
“No, that won’t be necessary, thanks though.” Kayleigh replied.  
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you guys will find time to....uh.....” Criss raised his eyebrows at her again.  
“Sssshhhh!!!!!” was all Kayleigh said to him and it made Joann laugh.  ”You two hush!” Kayleigh said, still trying to whisper. She looked over at Costa who appeared to still be sleeping.  
Criss was trying to suppress laughter. Kayleigh just sighed and sat back in the seat and closed her eyes. In a few minutes she felt Costa squeeze her hand. When she looked over at him his eyes were still closed but he was smiling. 

With Criss doing interviews over the next few days; Kayleigh took a much needed break. She took the opportunity to do some spring cleaning and make some phone calls to friends she had not spoken to in a while. 

One night she decided to make a phone call to her mother to discuss her dilemma with Criss. She knew her mom would understand; being a psychic herself.  
“Mom, i’m just not sure how to handle this. Criss does not believe in this sort of thing at all.” Kayleigh told her.  
“Does he even believe in an afterlife?” her mom asked.  
“Well, i’m sure he does. His family is Christian. You see, being in the profession he’s in has jaded him. He knows how to perform mentalism tricks and he once told me something like, ‘I believe half of what I hear and none of what I see.’ He’s talked about fake psychics and how they take advantage of people. So he just completely does not believe in people like us.” Kayleigh sighed heavily and lit a cigarette. She didn’t smoke a lot but mainly when she was nervous or stressed.  
“Well Kayleigh, you have quite a dilemma on your hands. Do you think he would really fire you if you approached him?”  
“No.....no not really, but he’d probably be very irritated that it involved his dad and probably tell me not to speak of it again. I don’t want to jeopardize our relationship and have him not trust me again. Ahhhh! I just don’t know what to do!”  
“So how close are you to his family? You are close to one of his brothers.” her mom stated matter-of-factly.  
Kayleigh sighed. “Yes mom, I am. I’ve been sort of seeing his brother Costa. Ugh, I can’t keep anything from you!” Kayleigh snickered.  
“I knew it! I am glad to hear that! So what’s he like? How serious is it?” her mom asked.  
“Mom, mom......wait. Ok, he’s really nice, kind of quiet and we haven’t really been dating that long. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together because of the schedule. Things are just beginning slowly. That is ok by me. I’m not ready to jump right in to something.”  
“Not ready? You haven’t had a real date in months. I think you are ready even if you don’t.”  
“So when do I get to meet him?” her mom inquired.  
“Mom! We aren’t at that stage yet. I mean, the only reason I know his mom is because of Criss and the show. Just relax, ok? We’ll see what happens.” Kayleigh rolled her eyes.  
“Ok, ok. I can’t help it. I want to be a grandmother before i’m too old.”  
“Mom, back to the subject at hand.” Kayleigh changed the subject. 

Her mom’s advice was to get a feel for how Costa felt about the subject and approach him with it. She also suggested Criss’ mom. Kayleigh’s mom felt that Criss’ mother did believe and she should talk to her about it. Kayleigh decided to take the advice but to approach both of them slowly. 

Her mom’s advice was to get a feel for how Costa felt about the subject and approach him with it. She also suggested Criss’ mom. Kayleigh’s mom felt that Criss’ mother did believe and she should talk to her about it. Kayleigh decided to take the advice but to approach both of them slowly. This wasn’t going to be an easy subject to talk about with Criss’ family. She had no idea how any of them would react. She was more comfortable approaching Costa than Criss’ mom. She wasn’t looking forward to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Enjoying what you've read so far? Thoughts on the story? Please leave feedback!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

That night, Kayleigh woke up around three am to get something to drink. While she was in the kitchen she heard it. She was in the middle of drinking a glass of water when she heard, “Kayleigh, tell Criss I love him and I’m proud of him. Please.”   
Kayleigh nearly dropped her glass of water. She had received messages before but it always startled her when they came out of the blue. She put the glass of water down, sighing. “Ok, ok, I hear you. I will.”   
Well, now she really had to do it.   
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
“Criss, we talked about this before. Why do you have to do it? You got hurt getting struck by the Tesla coil. You almost had permanent damage to your foot. It could’ve been much worse. Are you trying to kill yourself? Are you trying to give mom a heart attack?” J.D was pulling his hands through his hair and pacing around the room.   
The lightning strike was going to be filmed in Florida in 2 months and everyone was discussing it. Mostly everyone was trying to talk him out of it. 

“Lots of people have been struck by lightning.” Criss told him.  
“And lots of people have died too!” J.D retorted.  
“Criss, you’ve already proven you can take four million volts of electricity. Why do you need to push it?” Johnny Thompson asked him.   
Criss sighed heavily. They had all been through this same conversation last year.   
“Because that is what i’m about. Pushing my own limits. I know if I can take the Tesla Coil then I can take being struck by real lightning.” Criss said, clearly getting annoyed at everyone.   
Costa shook his head and said to no one in particular, “ He gets this stuff in his mind and you can’t talk him out of it.”  
“No, you can’t.” Criss told him. 

The room for silent for a moment when Johnny said, “Kayleigh, you’re quiet over there. You haven’t said a word.”  
Kayleigh had been working at the computer. She stared at the monitor and said, “No, hey, i’m just doing my job here and that doesn’t involve throwing my two cents in on what Criss should do.”   
“Oh come on, you have to have an opinion.” Johnny said.   
“Whether I do or not is not the point. My job is not giving opinions. This is all you guys.” Kayleigh continued to type away at the keyboard.   
Criss stood in the middle of the room with his arms folded and a grin on his face. “Ok, Kayleigh. Tell me what you think.”  
Kayleigh turned around in her chair and looked directly into Criss’ eyes and said, “Criss, I don’t want you to die and I don’t think your father would either.”   
Criss was shocked beyond words. The whole room stared at her. Kayleigh turned back around to face the monitor and continued typing while the rest of the room went silent.

At eight that evening Kayleigh heard a knock on her door and opened it to find Costa standing there with a bottle of wine.   
“Hey!” she said to him, kissing him on the cheek. “Come on in.”  
Costa closed the door behind him and grabbed Kayleigh by the arm to turn her around and give her a long, slow kiss on the lips.   
“Mmmm, I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” he said.  
Kayleigh smiled at him. “Me too. Come sit on the couch. Dinner is almost ready.”   
She took the bottle of wine from his hand and put it in the refrigerator. When she turned around, Costa was right behind her and wrapped his arms around her.  
“I don’t get to see you alone near enough.” he kissed her.   
“I agree.” Kayleigh said to him. “Blame it on your brother.”  
Costa laughed. “Yeah, he is a slave driver.” he winked at her.   
“Oh man, you heard that whole conversation on the plane, didn’t you?” Kayleigh asked him.  
“Yes, I did.” Costa laughed. 

Kayleigh sighed and buried her face in his shoulder breathing in his scent. She felt so comfortable in his arms. She hadn’t felt that feeling in a very long time and she welcomed it.   
“Ok” she said. “Go sit down so I can get dinner on the table.”   
Costa kissed her again before releasing her and sitting down at the kitchen table.

 

Kayleigh had cooked lasagna and made a salad. She sat the food on the table and got the red wine from the cabinet and poured them both a glass.  
“Damn, that smells good.” Costa said to her.  
“Lasagna is one of my specialties; other than cajun food that is and I don’t think you are ready for that yet.” she smiled at him.   
“Well I look forward to some of your cajun cooking.” Costa smiled at her.   
While they were eating, Costa looked at her as if to say something but stopped.  
“What is it?” Kayleigh asked him. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to ask.

“Kayleigh, I have to ask you something.” he paused as if looking for the right words. “Today, what did you mean when you said you didn’t want Criss to die and ‘I don’t think your father would either’. Where did that come from? What made you bring him up like that? You really shocked Criss, you know. He wouldn’t even talk about the comment.”

Kayleigh sighed heavily. “I know. I guess i’m going to have to talk to him. I didn’t mean to say that. It just came out. I.....well, you see.....there is something we need to talk about.”  
Costa gave her a questioned look. “Ok”  
“Let’s finish our dinner first. I need more wine for this.” Kayleigh told him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After dinner they sat on the couch. Kayleigh brought the bottle of wine and her glass with her. This was the conversation she wasn’t looking forward to.  
“Ok Costa, this is really hard for me to talk about to you but I want you to listen to me.”

“Ok, you’re really starting to worry me but you can talk to me about anything.” Costa told her taking her hand and she smiled at him. He had a way of making her feel at ease.  
“Well, I need to know. Regardless of what Criss believes; do you believe in......um, psychics, the paranormal, things like that?” Kayleigh held her breath in anticipation of his answer. 

“Well, actually, I kind of do, I suppose. Mom believes in it and J.D feels the same way Criss does so it’s never talked about. Mom and I have had a few conversations about it. I haven’t had any experiences but I know people who have. I mean I guess i’m kind of on the fence about it. Why do you ask? What are you getting at?” 

“OK, this is probably going to sound weird to you.....” she stopped to take in a deep breath and felt Costa squeeze her hand.   
“Go on” he said, “I will listen to anything you have to say.”  
That did make her feel a little better.

“I’ve been psychic to a degree and sensitive to the paranormal all my life. My mom is, my grandmother and my sisters are too. The house I grew up in was haunted and I can remember seeing ghosts there from the time I was four. I didn’t realize that they were actually ghosts until I was a little older. Anyway, to make a long story short; I can sense presences around. I can communicate with them to a degree and I am a little psychic. I don’t go around predicting the future to people but there are times I do have a sense of what is going to happen and I’m almost always right.” Kayleigh waiting for Costa’s reaction. She cringed, hoping he wouldn’t bolt for the door.

“Ok but what does this have to do with what you said?” Costa eyed her cautiously almost scared of what she was going to say.  
“First, I need to know if you believe me and I need an honest answer. I have to know before we continue this conversation.” Kayleigh told him.

“Kayleigh, I don’t believe you are a person to make up something like that and I don’t believe you would lie to me. I’ve always thought of you as a person with both feet on the ground. I absolutely believe you.”   
Kayleigh almost sighed in relief.

“Costa, your father has been trying to communicate with me since right before I started working for Criss.”   
Costa sat let go of her hand and sat back. “What?” he blinked at her.  
“I didn’t know it was your father until that party at your mom’s house and I saw the picture of him on the mantel. I kinda freaked when I realized who he was. Costa, I know this sounds crazy and I don’t blame you if you think i’m off my rocker.”

Costa grabbed her hand again. “No, it’s not that. It’s just shocking. I’ve never had anyone tell me something like this before. I’ve heard my mom talk about a couple of friends who could do stuff like that but i’ve never actually met anyone.” He looked at her cautiously. “So what did he tell you?”  
“He kept coming to me saying, “tell Criss” but that is all I could get until the other night. I woke up around three o’clock in the morning to get some water and all of the sudden the message became clear. He told me to tell Criss he loved him and he was very proud of him.”  
Costa sat there for a moment with nothing to say and she saw small tears form in his eyes.

“Wow, I....I really don’t know what to say to that.” was all he could say.  
“But do you believe me? I have to know that. You have to be honest with me about it.” Kayleigh looked at him. “I never asked for this and sometimes I wish I didn’t have it. It’s......normal to me. For lack of a better word because i’ve been dealing with it all my life and so has my family but I can imagine what it looks like to other people. I just know that I don’t imagine these things but I have to know if you believe me or not.”  
Costa looked up at her, directly into her eyes, and said, “Yeah.....yeah, I do.”  
Kayleigh hugged him and said, “So what do I do now? How the hell do I tell Criss?”


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Two nights later, Costa and Kayleigh were having dinner at his mother’s house. Costa had requested that it just be the three of them so they could talk. He didn’t tell his mother the details before hand but he gave her some background on Kayleigh as Kayleigh requested.   
When they walked in the house, Dimitra greeted her with a warm hug before they sat down to eat. 

“So tell me what all this is about? Costa tells me you are psychic.” Dimitra said to her.  
“Well, somewhat, yeah. Like I told Costa, I have been sensitive to the paranormal all my life. So is my mom, her mom and my sisters. Sometimes I dream of things that are going to happen or I sense what is going to happen but mainly i’ve been able to feel presences or see ghosts.”  
Kayleigh smiled nervously and felt Costa grab her hand and give it a squeeze. Dimitra smiled at her and nodded. 

Kayleigh continued.  
“This started when I was about four and we lived in a house that was haunted. I didn’t know the people I was talking to were dead. I could see them plain as day. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized they were ghosts and that my mom and grandmother had the same experiences. Any house I go in to, I can sense if there is someone there. There have only been a few times that I’ve felt it was something bad and didn’t want to go into the house. Well, two times actually. I sensed real evil and could not stay in the house. Thankfully it was only two times. It’s not a feeling I want to have.”  
Dimitra sat there taking it all in. “Oh sweetheart, what a terrible burden to carry. I have known people like this and I can say that I am glad I am not one of those people.”

When dinner was over they all sat in the living room, full and relaxed from the meal.   
Kayleigh looked at Costa and he gave her a nod, so she began. ”You see, Dimitra, the reason I wanted to come here tonight and talk about this is.....well....I don’t want to upset you.....i’ve been communicating with your husband or actually, he’s been trying to communicate with me. It’s been going on since right before I started working for Criss.” Once again, Kayleigh almost cringed, waiting for the reaction.

Instead Dimitra reached over and hugged her tight. Kayleigh began to cry. “Oh honey, it’s ok. You tell me what John has had to say to you.”  
Kayleigh wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “Well at first he was just there. Then I kept hearing, “tell Criss.” Then just a week or so ago I got up one night to hear him say, “Tell Criss I love him and I’m proud of him.” I didn’t fully realize it was Criss’ father trying to communicate with me until the party at your house two months ago when I saw his picture. I asked Criss who it was and when he told me it freaked me out. He noticed it and questioned me about it later. I just told him he looked like someone I knew. I couldn’t tell him anything. I know how he feels about this stuff. Then, when I got the full message I realized I had to tell him but I don’t know how.” The words came pouring out of her all at once. She felt like she had to get them out or she wouldn’t be able to say all of it. 

Dimitra’s eyes were filled with tears too. “Oh Kay, Criss and his father were very close so I have no doubt he would want to tell Criss how proud he is of him.”

“Dimitra, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear this. I was so afraid that you wouldn’t believe me.” Kayleigh hugged Dimitra tight.   
“This is why I had to tell Costa first and have him talk to you. The problem is, how do I tell Criss? I know he will freak out. I don’t want to have him mad at me or for this to damage our relationship.”  
“Honey, you leave him to me. I will talk to him.”  
“I don’t know, Dimitra. What if he thinks I am trying to pull something over on you? I mean, I don’t have anything to gain from it but I know how he feels about this stuff.”  
Dimitra patted her leg and said, “You just leave it to me. I will talk to him. I’m not exactly sure what I will say, but I will help you out.”  
Kayleigh was relieved that Costa and his mom were understanding but it didn’t make her feel any better about Criss. She did hope Dimitra could pave the way for what Kayleigh had to tell him.

Once they were back at her apartment she talked more to Costa about it.   
“I’m really relieved about your mother’s reaction. I respect her a lot and wouldn’t hurt her for anything. I was so afraid she’d cry and go running out of the room.” Kayleigh’s nerves were still on edge.  
Costa hugged her close and said, “If I thought she was going to react that way I would have never said a word to her and told you to forget it.”  
Kayleigh smiled up at him. “Thank you. Stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”  
Costa kissed her and said, “I’m not going anywhere.”


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was a beautiful March day in Las Vegas and everyone was sitting in Criss’ office, laughing and joking. They were waiting on Criss so they could start the production meeting for the next episode. Kayleigh was staring out the window of the room. She was nervously waiting for Criss. She hadn’t seen him in days and wondered if his mom had talked to him. Costa told her that if she did, Criss hadn’t mentioned it to him.   
She stood there lost in thought when she felt Costa’s hands on her shoulders making her jump. 

“Hey, why so nervous?” he asked her.  
She looked up and him and said, “Why do you think?”  
Costa rubbed her shoulders. “Damn you are tense. Don’t worry. Everything will be ok.”  
“I wish I could believe you. I don’t know. I guess it’s just not knowing what he’s going to say.” Kayleigh sighed. “Why me? I’ve asked this question my whole life but...... i’ve never had to deal with anything like this.”   
Costa wrapped his arms around her, hugged her tight and kissed her cheek.   
“Hey, you guys, there’s plenty of time for that later on!” J.D yelled at them.  
“Shut up!” Costa yelled back at him. 

The room was buzzing with chatter and laughter when Criss walked in.   
“Hey, what’s this? It doesn’t look like anything productive to me. Looks like a lot of lollygagging!”  
“We’re just discussing the next way you are going to try to get yourself killed.” J.D said to him.  
Criss laughed and sat down on the couch.

Throughout the meeting, Kayleigh could see Criss glancing at her but she only made eye contact with him once. She could tell he knew. His mother had talked to him. She tried to keep her mind focused on the meeting but she only heard about half of what was being said.   
When they broke away for lunch, everyone was walking out the door when Criss said, “Kayleigh, hang on for a minute, I need to talk to you.” Kayleigh felt her stomach drop. She looked at Costa who smiled at her and sat down on the couch next to her. 

“Costa, I need to talk to Kayleigh alone.” Criss told him.   
“Ok, I’ll meet you downstairs.” Costa told her and winked at her. He was trying to make her feel better but it wasn’t working.   
When everyone was gone, Kayleigh looked at Criss and said,”So what’s up?” She could feel her palms sweating. 

 

Criss sat down in the chair across from her.  
“I talked to my mother day before yesterday. She told me about your conversation.”  
Kayleigh swallowed. “Uh huh.”  
Criss sighed. “Look, I know you aren’t a malicious person and I know you wouldn’t lie but I don’t believe any of this and I don’t want you talking about this again. Especially not to my mom. I don’t want her to be upset.”

“Criss, this wasn’t anything about her. It was about you......”  
“I know” he interrupted putting his hand up. “But you involved her and I don’t want my mom hurt. I don’t want her getting into this stuff.”  
“Criss, i’d never hurt your mom for anything. I love her. I just wanted some advice and Costa suggested......”  
“Costa should have told you to come to me first.”   
“I’m sorry, Criss. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you or your mother. I can’t help who comes to me. It just happens. It’s been happening to me all my life. Did she tell you everything? Did she tell you who came to me and what was said?” Kayleigh asked him.  
“Yes, she did. Kayleigh, I believe that you think my father talked to you and I believe that you believe the experiences you’ve had all your life but the fact is, I believe they are just dreams. People don’t come back from the dead and talk to anyone.”

This time Kayleigh interrupted him. “Yes they do Criss. They do when they have unfinished business. I’m not dreaming it. I never have. Neither has my mother, my grandmother or my sisters. I know you don’t believe me but your father came to me with a message for you. I didn’t ask him to come to me but he did.” Kayleigh was getting near tears. Her emotions were a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “I couldn’t ignore it. He started coming to me the day before our interview. I had no idea who he was until I saw the picture on the mantel in your house the night of the party. I had to tell you. I felt I was being disrespectful to your father if I didn’t deliver his message. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you and he’s proud of you.”

Criss was leaning back on the couch listening to her. She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t angry but annoyed. He was chewing on his bottom lip.  
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, Kayleigh. I believe that you believe it. I still believe that it was a dream.”  
“How could I have dreamed it when i’d never seen him before!” she almost shouted.  
“There are pictures on the internet. There have been pictures i’ve shown of him on Mindfreak. You could have seen them.” he told her. 

“But I didn’t! Before I met you, i’d only seen a few of your shows.” she said. ”Maybe it was in one of the ones you saw and you didn’t realize it. You could have seen a picture on the internet and it just didn’t register so you forgot about it. Your mind can play tricks on you.”

Kayleigh was starting to get frustrated now. Something she promised herself she wouldn’t do. She knew he wouldn’t believe her.  
“Kayleigh, I mean no disrespect to you. I don’t think you are lying and I don't think you are crazy but we are never going to agree on this so it’s best we don’t discuss it anymore and I’d appreciate you not talking to my mother about it anymore. I don’t want you to upset her. Do you understand?”  
Now Kayleigh had tears forming in her eyes. “Yes, I understand.” was all she could say. She got up to leave before she really started crying but Criss stood up and grabbed her and hugged her. “Kayleigh, I don’t want you to be upset because i’m not mad at you. This is just something we aren’t going to agree on. Okay?”   
She tried to smile. “Okay”  
Criss squeezed her tight and said, “ I love having you for my assistant and I want to keep you around.” he smiled at her and wiped a tear that had slid down her cheek. “Besides, my brother likes you so I don’t think I could get rid of you if I wanted to.”   
Kayleigh laughed and hugged Criss again.   
“Everything's cool so don’t worry. Let’s go get some food. I’m starving!” Criss told her and they left the room.  
Downstairs Kayleigh met up with Costa while Criss went off to find J.D and everyone else.  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
“So how’d it go?” Costa said putting his arm around her.   
“Not too terrible. He’s not mad at me but he doesn’t believe me and he doesn’t want me talking about it again. Especially not to your mom.”   
Costa took her face in his hands and wiped away another tear.  ”Don’t worry about it. Criss won’t hold it against you. If he said he’s not mad at you, he isn’t.”   
“Costa, he thinks I was dreaming! He thinks I dreamed the whole thing and i’ve been dreaming all this stuff my whole life! I haven’t been. I’m telling you I haven’t dreamed up everything. He thinks i’m upsetting your mother by telling her this.”  
“Yeah, well you know he’s protective over mom but she’s not upset. She believes you. Talk to her. She won’t mention it to Criss. It’s ok, it’s over with. I promise, things will be back to normal.”  
“Well, in a way, I’m relieved. I had a message to deliver and I did it. I’m glad it’s over with.”  
Costa hugged her and gave her a kiss. “Let’s go get some lunch.”

They walked into the hotel restaurant to find everyone was in a private room. Criss and J.D were arguing about Criss’ new stunt while everyone else was teasing him. 

“Criss, you’ve already tried to blow yourself up. This is crazy. You are going to go deaf if you don’t get yourself killed.” J.D shook his head. “I swear, I am going to take up smoking.”  Criss laughed, “Maybe you should take up meditating instead.”   
“You guys are both wasting your breath.” Costa said as he and Kayleigh walked in hand in hand.   
“Criss will never stop doing crazy stunts and J.D will never stop worrying. Actually I think you guys just feed off each other.”   
Everyone laughed. “J.D, you worry more than mom!”   
Kayleigh looked at Criss across the table and he smiled and nodded to her. Seeing Criss’ warm smile made her feel better. Maybe Costa was right. Maybe things would be back to normal.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As Costa promised, things went back to normal. Criss never brought the subject up again and treated Kayleigh as if it never happened. Part of Kayleigh hoped he would believe her and change his feelings on the whole subject but she knew that wouldn’t happen. She did speak to his mother about their conversation but Dimitra promised she wouldn’t bring it up to Criss. She also told Kayleigh that she wasn’t upset about it at all. 

The next couple of months went by fast. They were full of fun, excitement and lots of long work hours. Kayleigh was becoming close with everyone on the show and she felt more like a part of the family than she ever thought she would. She and Costa were becoming even closer and now they were a couple. Going from a casual relationship to an exclusive couple was a smooth transition happening without either of them realizing it. Kayleigh felt more comfortable with him than she had ever felt with anyone. Costa was spending almost all of his spare time at her apartment where they would spend hours talking about everything imaginable. Not only were they falling in love but they were also becoming best friends. One night Costa brought up the idea of Kayleigh moving in with him.

Costa and Kayleigh were snuggled up on the couch together watching tv but they were so exhausted from the day, they were both half asleep and not really watching it.  
“Kayleigh, you awake?” Costa asked.   
“Mmhm” she lazily replied yawning.   
“I’ve got an idea i’ve been thinking about this past week.”  
“Ok, what is it?” she yawned again and stretched.  
“How would you feel about moving in with me?” Costa asked and sat up straight.  
Kayleigh’s eyes flew open and she sat up quickly and shook her head as if to fight off fatigue.  
“What?”  
“ I know you heard me.” Costa grinned.  
“Ok, yeah I heard you but I had to make sure I was awake. You want me to move in with you?”  
“Well, yeah. I’m here most of the time anyway and it would just make more sense if we lived together, plus....well, I love you.” Costa’s shyness suddenly coming back.  
Kayleigh smiled and kissed him. “I love you too and of course i’ll move in with you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“You do realize we won’t have any time to move you in until filming for the season is over.” Costa told her.  
“Oh I know but it won’t be long. There is only one more stunt to film then we will have some time off. Ah, a vacation! Hey, that’s an idea. After I get moved in what do you say we take a vacation?” Kayleigh said, suddenly excited over the idea.

“You mean you haven’t traveled enough lately?” Costa joked. “We’ll talk more about that later. Right now we have something to celebrate.” he said, kissing her and pushing her back down on the couch.

The weekend before the trip to Florida for the filming of the last stunt, Dimitra had a cookout at her house for everyone. Her house was filled with people from the show. Banachek and Costa were making margaritas in kitchen, J.D and Johnny Thompson were arguing over the barbecue grill, Joann, Dimitra and Kayleigh were making salad and setting the table outside, Criss, Jonathon and Dexter were cutting up and arguing over who is the better magician while Michael Blum and Dave Baram were laughing at them. J.D’s girls and the children of a few of the crew members were outside in the inflatable pool having a good time. 

“Are those margaritas done yet?” Kayleigh asked. “I’m dying for one.”  
“Yes and here; would you take these over to Criss and the guys?” Costa asked. “Here’s some more fuel to add to their fire.”  
“Oh great” Joann said. “There’s gonna be a brawl before the day’s over.”  
Kayleigh laughed and walked into the living room to hand out the drinks.  
“Margaritas guys!” she announced.  
“Ooo, alcohol, thanks!” Jonathon said and kissed her on the cheek.  
“Ok, Kayleigh, who’s the better magician here?” he asked.   
“My boss of course.” Kayleigh answered making them all laugh.  
“Good answer!” Criss said. “You now have permission to marry my brother.”  
“Marry? You’re getting married?” Dexter asked.  
“No, see what you started, Criss?” Kayleigh smacked him on the shoulder.  
“Oh good. So your still on the market then?” Dexter walked over beside her and put his arm around her.  
“No, i’m not. Costa and I are moving in together.” Kayleigh smiled at him.  
“Oh you’re breaking my heart. How could you do that?” he asked her.   
“You’ll live i’m sure.” Kayleigh winked at him and went back into the kitchen.

Costa greeted her with a margarita. “Mmm, thanks” she said, taking a sip.   
“Wait, you’ve got some salt on your lip.” he pulled her close and kissed her.  
“You two are so cute.” Joann told them. “I’m so happy you guys are moving in together. Next thing you know you two will be getting married.”  
“Oh yeah, that reminds me. Your brother just gave me permission to marry you.” Kayleigh told him.  
“He did?” Costa cocked one eyebrow at her.  
“Yeah, they are in there having the ‘who’s the better magician’ discussion and when Jonathon asked me I told him, ‘my boss of course’ and that’s when Criss said I now have his permission to marry you.”  
Costa laughed.   
“See?” Joann said.  
“You guys can just knock if off!” Kayleigh said. “I’m going outside to pass out more margaritas!” 

“Seriously, you guys have to stop.” Costa said when Kayleigh was gone.  ”Things will happen when they happen. We aren’t even moved in together yet. Don’t chase her off!”  
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Dimitra told him. “She really loves my son. I can see the way she looks at you and I know you love her too.” Costa smiled.  
Joann started humming the wedding march and Costa just laughed and shook his head. “Ok, i’m leaving now.” 

Costa walked outside to Kayleigh and put his arms around her. “You guys got that food ready yet or are you still arguing about how to grill the hamburgers?”  
“Yeah we’ve got the first batch done, smartass!” J.D told him. “Great margaritas by the way.”   
Criss, Dexter and Johnathon walked up and Criss said, “Are you guys done or are you still arguing over the right way to cook hamburgers?”   
Immediately everyone was laughing.   
“Suddenly everyone’s a fucking comedian?” J.D said. “Yeah, the first batch is done. Go eat!”  
Joann and Dimitra walked up with the salads and J.D said, “Don’t even ask and yes, the food is done.”   
The women looked at each other and shrugged which sent the men in fits of laughter. All but J.D.  
Everyone sat down to eat and Dimitra said grace to which J.D added, “and please God, keep Criss safe in Florida and please try to talk some sense into him. Please don’t strike him with lightning.”   
“Hey” Criss spoke up. “That’s the whole point!”

Just as Criss said at the end of last season; he was going to get struck by real lightning. He was struck by the Tesla coil and got hurt and everyone had been trying to talk him out of being struck by real lightning. Criss, of course, wouldn’t listen.   
“Boys, don’t use grace for this argument.” Dimitra admonished.  
“Sorry mom.” J.D said.   
“ I don’t want to talk about this now anyway.” she added.  
Ever since Mindfreak started back into production for the second season everyone was trying to talk Criss out of this last stunt. They were all terrified he was going to get himself killed or seriously injured. Dimitra especially didn’t like talking to him about it.

Everyone was filling their plates with food when suddenly Kayleigh saw a blinding flash of white light and a searing pain in her head. She gasped.  
“What’s wrong?” Costa asked her.  
“Nothing. I just suddenly had a stabbing pain in my head.” she didn’t want to tell him about the flash. She didn’t want hiim to worry about her.   
Criss was looking at her. “Are you ok?”   
“Yes, i’m fine. It’s gone now.” Kayleigh smiled at him but the look on his face told her he didn’t believe her. She looked away from him and took a bite of her hamburger. “J.D., Johnny, this hamburger is great!”  
“Thanks” J.D. said.  
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Johnny smiled at her.   
She turned to smile at Costa and saw Criss still looking at her.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The morning of the last stunt, the lightening strike, everyone was standing around outside the trailer waiting for the storm to come. It was hot and muggy and the air was still. Everyone was hot, sticky and tired and a little grumpy.  
“Ugh, it’s so damn humid. I’m sweating my ass off!” J.D. said.  
“Welcome to my world. I grew up in this shit.” Kayleigh said to him.  
Criss was getting suited up in an outfit very similar to the chain mail shark suit he used for the Tesla strike. Every precaution was being made to make sure everything was covered so there was not a repeat of what happened last time. 

“Hey Criss, you must be sweltering in that suit. You sure you want to do this?” J.D asked him.  
“Yes, it is hot as hell in this suit and yes I still want to do it!” Criss said to J.D, slightly annoyed. 

Everyone was on edge because they were worried about Criss. The heat didn’t help the mood. Kayleigh wasn’t feeling well. She had a bad feeling about the whole thing. She was feeling slightly nauseous and experienced another bright flash of white light. She jerked as if someone had slapped her and her hand went to her forehead.  
“What is it?” Costa asked her.  
“Nothing, just a headache.” she told him.  
“Kayleigh” Costa lowered his voice so the others couldn’t hear. “What is wrong. You’ve been acting nervous and weird all morning. I know you. Tell me what’s wrong.”  
Kayleigh sighed. “I don’t like this. I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”  
She looked over at Criss who was still getting suited up.  
“I keep having these flashes of bright light that blind me temporarily and i’m a little nauseous.” she wrapped her arms around herself.  
“Shhhh.” Costa pulled her to him in a hug. “Don’t worry. He’s going to be fine. J.D worries enough for everyone.” 

J.D was pacing back and forth, muttering comments like, ‘He must be crazy. He’s finally lost his mind. I can’t believe i’m here for this.’  
Kayleigh laughed. “Yeah you’re right. I just can’t shake this feeling and I can’t help but worry.” She started walking over to Criss. She needed to tell him something although she had no idea what it was.  
“Kayleigh.......” Costa called after her.  
She took in a deep breath and exhaled as she stood in front of Criss.  
“I see that look. Don’t.” Criss said to her.  
“Look, Criss.....”  
“No, i’m getting enough shit from J.D. now go back over there with Costa.” he saw the pained look in Kayleigh’s eyes and his voiced softened. “I’m going to be fine.” He gave her a hug and said to everyone, “Ok, i’m ready, lets do this.” 

The sky was getting dark and they were starting to see flashes of lightning. Everyone was getting more nervous. The only people who were there for the stunt, aside from the crew and the paramedics were J.D., Costa, Kayleigh, Joann. and Dave. No one else wanted to be there.  
Criss ran out into the open field like a child running out to play.  
Costa was smoking, J.D was pacing and running his hands through his hair and Joann was biting her nails. 

Everyone jumped at a loud crack of lightning.  
“Woo, that one was close!” Criss yelled.  
Kayleigh sighed and rubbed her head.  
Costa continued to smoke but hug Kayleigh closer to him.  
“Criss be careful!” Joann yelled.  
Thunder boomed making everyone jump again.  
Kayleigh had another bright flash before her eyes and the pain almost brought her to her knees.  
At the same time there was a brilliant flash of light and a loud crack of lightning and suddenly Criss was on the ground. 

Everyone was running in his direction when he didn’t get up.  
“Criss! Criss!” everyone was shouting but the paramedics got there first.  
The paramedics were looking over him when one of them said, “No pulse.” and began doing CPR.  
“Oh God!” Joann said and started crying.  
Kayleigh gasped loudly and tears were rolling down her face.  
J.D was still pacing and saying, “No, no, no......”  
Everyone stood there watching the paramedic giving Criss CPR while the other one was preparing the paddles.  
Suddenly one of them yelled, “Clear!” and the other one shocked him with the paddles. Everyone jumped as if they’d been shocked themselves. For a moment they all held their breath. 

When one of the paramedics said, “I’ve got a pulse.” everyone let out their breath. The paramedics hurried to get Criss into the ambulance.  
Costa let Joann and J.D ride in the ambulance while he and Kayleigh took the car to the hospital.  
They rode in silence for the first five minutes when suddenly Costa said, clearly upset, “God Kayleigh, how do you stand it? Being intuitive like that? How have you dealt with this your whole life?” He was shaking his head.  
Kayleigh was looking out the window and rubbing her head. “I’ve never had it this strong before. I’ve never had premonitions of someone...... getting hurt.” She started to say “dying” but she didn’t want to think that nor did she want to say it to Costa. 

They pulled up to the emergency entrance and ran inside.  
“So what is going on?” Costa asked.  
“I don’t know yet. He’s in a room and there are some doctors with him. They said they’d let us know something soon.” J.D said.  
Kayleigh went over to Joann to comfort her and saw Dave walk in and go over to Costa and J.D to talk to them. Joann was crying and saying, “Oh God, please don’t let him die. I can’t live without him.”  
“SShhhh” Kayleigh hugged her. “He’s going to be ok, hon. Really. I promise.”

Dimitra came walking hurriedly into the room. “Where’s Christopher? What is going on?” J.D sat her down and told her what happend.  
They waited in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity before a doctor finally came out to talk to them. Dimitra and Joann were both pacing.  
“He’s ok.” the doctor told them. “He’s very lucky but he’s ok. I still want to keep him overnight for observation though.”  
Everyone was breathing a sigh of relief and hugging each other.  
“Can we see him?” Joann asked.  
“Yes but not more than two of you at a time and I gave him a sedative so he’ll be out in about a half hour.” the doctor said and showed Joann and Dimitra the way to his room.  
Costa, Kayleigh, J.D and Dave hugged each other. “Does that man have the most amazing luck or what? I think someone is watching over him.” Dave said and Costa looked at Kayleigh and winked at her.  
“He’s definitely got connections somewhere.” Kayleigh said.  
After about fifteen minutes, Dimitra and Joann came out. 

“Kayleigh, he wants to talk to you. Alone.” Dimitra said, looking over at Costa and smiling. Kayleigh nodded and kissed Costa, “I’ll be right back so you and J.D can talk to him.”  
Kayleigh walked into the room and looked at Criss who was sitting up in bed.  
“You gave us a big scare you know.” she said and walked over and hugged him. When she started to let go he was still hugging her tight. When he finally let go he looked at her with small tears glistening in his eyes.  
“I have to tell you something.”  
“What’s wrong, Criss?” she asked him.  
“I wanted to tell you that you were right.” Criss stared directly into her eyes.  
“Right? About what?”  
“My dad.” Criss said, not looking away.  
“Your dad?” Kayleigh asked, shocked.  
“Kayleigh, I was dead. My dad came to me and told me he loved me and he was proud of me and it wasn’t my time to go. He said I still had a lot to do.”  
Kayleigh’s jaw almost dropped open.  
“ I know I wasn’t hallucinating or was asleep. I....I don’t know how but I just know. If anyone else had told me they had the same experience, I would think they were hallucinating but I know I wasn’t. I just know I wasn’t.” a single tear slid down his cheek.  
This made Kayleigh start crying again. “Criss....oh, I don’t know what to say other than you just had an experience that not many people ever have.”  
“I know. I just wanted to tell you I believe you now.” Criss told her.  
“I believe you now.”

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Feedback is greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> One of my first fics and not my best work but I'd appreciate some feedback anyway.


End file.
